Perhaps Not Without Benefit
by HecateA
Summary: Tonks doesn't know how she could have let last night happen, but she's too caught up in "Operation Retrieve Sweater From His Bedroom Floor" to think of it at lengths. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **Mature themes, and for whatever reason Tonks decided to swear like a sailor in this one

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**Stacked with: **MC4A; Not Commonwealth; Shipping War; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Golden Times; Old Shoes; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; In a Flash

**Representation(s): **Metamorphmagus Tonks; werewolf Remus

**Bonus challenge(s):** Surprise!; Demo (White Dress; Middle Name; Lovely Coconuts; Dog Star; Odd Feathers; Soul-like; Sailor Take Warning)

**Tertiary bonus challenge: **NA

**Word Count: **1033

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_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Medium 2 (One Night Stand)

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**Perhaps Not Without Benefit **

It was at times like these that Tonks wondered, truly wondered, why the fuck it was that she was like this.

It had been stressful enough to sneak out of Grimmauld Place that morning without causing the floor to creak outrageously loudly, without accidentally slamming a door with wonky hinges, and without sending good old Mrs. Black into one of her screaming matches. Somehow the expectation that she would be _graceful _and _quiet _had made this so-called "walk of shame" so much worse.

The change of route in getting to work meant that she was nowhere near her usual coffee shop, which already dampened her mood for the day.

Then, when she'd gotten into work Kingsley was of course coming off a night shift and had a million questions about why she was showering at work and why was she wearing the same clothes she'd been wearing at the Order meeting. Merlin, would it kill the man to fuck off?

Anyways, she'd managed to get rid of him and she was feeling mildly human again after she had stopped by the Ministry's cafeteria to grab a breakfast sandwich and the largest cup of coffee they had…

Only to finally crumble down at her desk and realise that she'd left her sweater on his floor.

Her favourite sweater.

The sweater that Grandma Tonks had made her for her last birthday.

That she ergo had to wear whenever she visited her grandmother.

Which she was due to do tonight.

At a massive family dinner.

For her parents' anniversary.

Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.

She tried to weigh the pros and cons of the situation: show up without the sweater and get yelled at in Hebrew too quick and angry for her to understand before getting yelled at separately by her mother (probably in English, but maybe French)... or go back to Grimmauld Place and face… fuck, face what?

The probable mockery of Sirius Black? The entirety of the Order of the Phoenix, those gossipy assholes who seemed to know everyone's business at the time? Or Remus himself? Gosh, yes, that was definitely the most terrifying and dreadful possibility… She wasn't sure how to casually play off the fact that she had snuck out of his room at sunrise—or how to address why she'd ended up in that room in the first place.

Then again, what the hell had she been expecting?

_Nothing, _she chided herself for the hundredth time. _You didn't expect anything because you weren't thinking, you dumb bitch. _

She spent all day mentally kicking herself as much as she could without inflicting lasting psychic damage to herself and ultimately she came to the conclusion that she had to show up with the sweater—or explain why she didn't have it. Tonks herself had no qualms about her behaviour or her sexuality, but she absolutely wasn't ready to explain to her grandmother that she'd been slutting it up the night before.

Literally. Anything but that.

And so when Scrimgeour left early for a meeting with the Minister, she told Hestia that if he asked she'd stayed until 5:00 as per usual.

"I have an errand to run," she'd grumbled unhappily enough for Hestia (who knew to mind her business unlike goddamned Kingsley Shacklebolt) to leave her be and simply wave goodbye.

She made her way back to Grimmauld Place in a bad mood the whole time, crossing her fingers and hoping against hope that Remus would be on some kind of Order mission or grocery run when she got there. Her luck was never that good.

She got past all the protections and safeguards and entered the house. She eyed Mrs. Black's portrait and swore to herself that she would tear it to shreds if the lady started screaming and it came down to it.

But her luck held, and she made her way to the main house.

She made her way to his room because yup: _that _was a familiar route now.

When she was standing in front of his door, she listened around, but didn't hear anyone or anything buzzing around. Maybe Sirius was upstairs with the Hippogriff again… Whatever, she had to act fast. Auror stealth training had prepared her for this, if nothing else.

She knocked on his door and the sound was like the loudest thing in the entire goddamn world.

"Fuck," she huffed. Even that got no reaction, so she figured… shit, maybe the house truly _was _empty. When was the last time that had happened?

No time to question it, she cracked the door and flicked on the light of Remus' room.

The room was relatively empty, but the few books and things on the shelf were neatly organized and the bed was neatly made. The fact that everything was put away so nicely made the intruder stick out even more: her purple sweater, neatly folded and resting on the end of the bed—on the side where she'd spent the night.

Tonks sighed. At least she wouldn't have to look for it.

When she reached the sweater, she saw the note that he had left for her:

_Hello Dora, _

_I thought you might want this back, I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty to wash it—I promise I was very careful with it. I'm undercover for three days and four nights, but I do hope that we can talk after. I don't know how you feel about last night and it isn't as if there's a wrong answer, but I look forward to seeing you again. _

_Enjoy dinner with your family,_

_Remus_

She exhaled, feeling a weight lifting off of her shoulders. She brought it to her nose, she recognized the smell of the laundry detergent Remus always used for the wash's laundry—a crisp, fresh, no-nonsense but pleasant smell.

She smiled at the smell, and at the sweetness of the gesture. Maybe… well, maybe this wasn't all bad.

"Back for more so soon?"

She spun back towards the door, and there was Sirius Black, leaning in the doorframe and grinning his stupid, stupid, _oh so fucking stupid _and smug grin.

"Fuck," Tonks groaned.

She had been so close to make it in and out unseen.


End file.
